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Mohun Bagan to file a liquidation suit against United Spirits Limited.

Mohun Bagan A.C. has had a long standing tie-up with UB Group since 1998 as the Sponsor of the Football Team and formed a company in the name of United Mohun Bagan Football Team Pvt. Ltd.

United Mohun Bagan Football Team Pvt. Ltd. had executed a Sponsorship agreement with United Spirits Limited dated 11th June 2013 for 10 years to provide financial assistance of Rs. 8 crore per year and from there on the sponsorship fund was deposited to our account every month, but since November 2014 the fund was unilaterally stopped by USL without any prior intimation.

Upon our inquiry with USL (East Division) and subsequent followup at their Head office, we came to know that Shareholders did not approve the said deal in their EGM dated November 28, 2014. However, in spite of not receiving any payment, Mohun Bagan continued in their commitment to give proper mileage and visibility to the brand “McDowell” as mentioned in the agreement.

On the other hand, Mohun Bagan have constantly tried to resolve the issue on the basis of our cordial relationship with USL but all our effort was unfruitful.

After hearing the current situation the Executive Committee Members of Mohun Bagan A.C. discussed that there is no other option but to file a liquidation suit against USL and thus recommended the Board of Directors of United Mohun Bagan Football Team Pvt. Ltd. to initiate the same as soon as possible to recover outstanding dues and implementation of the contract executed on 11th June 2013.

If reports are anything to go by, AIFF received a boost after Pune based team DSK Shivajians submitted their bid for playing in the top division of India, the I-league. With Bharat FC and Pune FC pulling out of the top flight, it was expected that I-league would be a nine team affair in the upcoming season.

DSK based in Pune, is running an academy in partnership Liverpool is easily expected to clear all the licensing criteria essential for I-league clubs to fulfill.

Newly formed club appoints Subhash Bhowmick as Technical Director, will face Mohammedan Sporting in the first match

Guwahati, India: Newly formed Guwahati FC is raring to go as they prepare for the 2nd Division I-League 2015-16. The club is aiming for promotion to the first tier of Indian football and is leaving no stone unturned in its quest. They have appointed legendary former Indian National player and Coach, Subhash Bhowmick as their Technical Director. Mr Bhowmick has previously managed top clubs such as East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Churchill Brothers, Salgaocar among others. He comes on board as a mentor and guide and the team will benefit greatly from his vast experience.

Guwahati FC has also recently successfully held trials for its first team, with some top talent being recruited from top division clubs in India. They have announced the signing of top Assamese attacker, Durga Boro, who will bring a lot of quality to the first team. They will be announcing many more exciting signings in the days to come.

The club will face Mohammedan Sporting in their first match of the 2nd Division I-League on 14th November in Kolkata. The other teams in the Eastern Conference are Neroca FC, Himalayan Gangtok SC and Fateh Hyderabad FC. Three teams will qualify from the Conference for the main Group.

The club has recently tied up with Delhi-based Anglian Management Group (AMG) and Brazil’s Clube Atlético Paranaense (CAP) to set up the first international football Academy in North-East India based out of Guwahati. The Academy plans to train a hundred elite youth footballers from various age groups each of the next three years as well as run numerous programmes throughout the year aimed at attracting many more youth to the sport.To kick off their youth programs, they will be competing in the U-18 and U-15 I-League 2015-16 which will start in November.

Guwahati FC, which was formed at the end of 2014, aims to establish itself by developing local talent in partnership with AMG and CAP. The club intends to leverage AMG’s international connections and experiences managing football clubs in India and in Europe as well as CAP’s globally-renowned youth football programmes.

“We are looking forward to a great campaign in the 2nd Division I-League and will definitely aim to qualify to the top tier. We will remain passionate and dedicated about the cause of building the sport of football in India from the bottom up, as evidenced by our setting up the Guwahati FC Youth Academy in partnership with Anglian Management Group and Clube Atlético Paranaense.” said Sanjive Narain Co-owner Guwahati FC.

Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri bagged the highest offer of Rs. 1.20 crore in the auction conducted for Indian Super League 2015. He will be playing for Mumbai City FC. Eugeneson Lyngdoh the 28 year old midfielder came a close second by breaking through the 1 crore ceiling, winning a bid price of Rs 1.05 crore successfully bought over by FC Pune City.

The Indian Super League Players Auction, the first ever auction of football players in India, saw the eight franchises battle it out for 10 of India’s finest players in Mumbai earlier today.

Ten players who have featured for the Indian national team and had missed the Indian Super League’s (ISL) inaugural season went under the hammer for the eight teams in the first-of-a-kind auction. UK based Charlie Ross began the auctioneer proceedings by making clear the rules of the process. What followed next was a test of business skills and a fight between the franchises to pick the players of their choice.

Charlie Ross was at his best as the auctioneer that witnessed Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri bagging the highest bid, a whopping Rs. 1.20 Crore from Team Mumbai City FC. Eugeneson Lyngdoh the 28 year old midfielder came a close second by breaking through the 1 crore ceiling, winning a bid price of Rs 1.05 crore successfully bought over by FC Pune City following a round of bids from Mumbai City FC, Atletico de Kolkata and NorthEast United FC.

Rino Anto, India’s best right back turned out to be the dark horse of the ISL bagging a surprise bid price of Rs 90 lakhs when he was picked up by Atletico de Kolkata. Charles Ross was in total rhythm for Rino’s bid bringing up the amount to Rs. 90 lakhs from the base price of Rs. 17.50 lakhs. Chennaiyin FC grabbed a sweet deal with Karanjit Singh, the only available goal keeper at the auction for his base price of Rs. 60 lakhs. Chennaiyin FC also bid successfully for Thoi Singh, the 24 year old talented midfielder for Rs 86 lakhs.

The much anticipated second season of the Indian Super League (ISL) will kick off on the 3rd of October with its opening match to be played between Chennaiyin FC and Atletico de Kolkata, winners of the first season of the ISL at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai.

Details of the players and auction bid price for Indian Super League 2015 is as below:

Sr No

Player

Buying Team

Base Price

Auction Fee

1

Sunil Chhetri

Mumbai City FC

Rs. 80 Lakhs

Rs. 1.20 Crore

2

Eugeneson Lyngdoh

FC Pune City

Rs. 27.50 Lakhs

Rs. 1.05 Crore

3

Rino Anto

Atletico de Kolkata

Rs. 17.50 Lakhs

Rs. 90 Lakh

4

Thoi Singh

Chenaiyin FC

Rs. 39 Lakhs

Rs. 86 Lakhs

5

Arata Izumi

Atletico de Kolkata

Rs. 40 Lakhs

Rs. 68 lakhs

6

Karanjit Singh

Chennaiyin FC

Rs. 60 Lakhs

Rs 60 Lakhs

7

Seityasen Singh

NorthEast United FC

Rs. 20 lakhs

Rs 56 Lakhs

8

Robin Singh

Delhi Dynamos FC

Rs. 40 Lakhs

Rs. 51 lakhs

9

Jackichand Singh

FC Pune City

Rs. 20 Lakhs

Rs. 45 Lakhs

10

Anas Edathodika

Delhi Dynamos FC

Rs. 40 Lakhs

Rs. 41 lakhs

Details of players who were picked as part of the draft for Indian Super League 2015:

Player

Price

Draft

Team

ALBINO GOMES (DT)

1000000

DRAFTED

MUMBAI CITY FC

GUNASHEKAR VIGNESH

1200000

DRAFTED

DELHI DYNAMOS FC

ZODINGLIANA RALTE (DT)

200000

DRAFTED

DELHI DYNAMOS FC

PRATESH SHIRODKAR

1600000

DRAFTED

MUMBAI CITY FC

ZOHMINGLIANA RALTE

900000

DRAFTED

NORTHEAST UNITED FC

MARLANGKI SUTING

900000

DRAFTED

NORTHEAST UNITED FC

KEEGAN PEREIRA

3200000

DRAFTED

MUMBAI CITY FC

FANAI LALREMPUIA (DT)

180000

INSTANT TRADING

FC PUNE CITY

NIDHIN LAL

1600000

DRAFTED

CHENNAIYIN FC

GOVIN SINGH

800000

DRAFTED

FC PUNE CITY

LALIT THAPA

1000000

DRAFTED

FC PUNE CITY

PETER CARVALHO

1200000

DRAFTED

KERALA BLASTERS FC

RAJU YUMNAM

1000000

DRAFTED

NORTHEAST UNITED FC

ASHUTOSH MEHTA

2000000

DRAFTED

MUMBAI CITY FC

PRABIR DAS (DT)

1250000

DRAFTED

DELHI DYNAMOS FC

KUNZANG BHUTIA (DT)

400000

DRAFTED

ATLÉTICO DE KOLKATA

JUSTIN STEPHEN

1500000

DRAFTED

CHENNAIYIN FC

LALHMANGAIHSANGA RALTE

900000

DRAFTED

CHENNAIYIN FC

LALCHHAWNKIMA

900000

DRAFTED

ATLÉTICO DE KOLKATA

RAVI KUMAR (DT)

1000000

DRAFTED

DELHI DYNAMOS FC

DEBJIT MAJUMDER

1500000

DRAFTED

MUMBAI CITY FC

REAGAN SINGH

1300000

DRAFTED

NORTHEAST UNITED FC

CK VINEETH

1500000

DRAFTED

KERALA BLASTERS FC

SUSHANTH MATHEW

800000

DRAFTED

FC PUNE CITY

AUGUSTIN FERNANDES

2600000

DRAFTED

ATLÉTICO DE KOLKATA

ZAKEER MUNDAMPARA

2300000

DRAFTED

CHENNAIYIN FC

GURJINDER KUMAR

2700000

DRAFTED

FC PUNE CITY

SHANKAR SAMPINGIRAJ (DT)

1000000

DRAFTED

KERALA BLASTERS FC

SIAM HANGHAL (DT)

834000

DRAFTED

NORTHEAST UNITED FC

LALCHHUANMAWIA FANAI

1500000

DRAFTED

MUMBAI CITY FC

SEHNAJ SINGH (DT)

1800000

DRAFTED

DELHI DYNAMOS FC

THONGKHOSIEM HAOKIP (DT)

1,80,000

DRAFTED

FC GOA

VICTORINO FERNANDES

16,00,000

DRAFTED

FC GOA

NAOBA SINGH

18,00,000

DRAFTED

DELHI DYNAMOS FC

BRANDON FERNANDES (DT)

12,00,000

DRAFTED

MUMBAI CITY FC

LALTHUAMMAWIA RALTE

13,90,000

DRAFTED

NORTHEAST UNITED FC

CAVIN LOBO

20,00,000

DRAFTED

KERALA BLASTERS FC

BIKASH JAIRU

15,00,000

DRAFTED

FC PUNE CITY

DHANPAL GANESH

9,00,000

DRAFTED

CHENNAIYIN FC

AMRINDER SINGH (DT)

4,50,000

DRAFTED

ATLÉTICO DE KOLKATA

Out of the 114 players listed for draft only 40 were picked by the team. Here is a list of players who fell out of contention. Some of them appeared in the first edition of ISL.

IMG-Reliance who owns the Indian Super league earlier announced the set of rules and regulations for the second edition of the tournament. You can read it here. Unlike the first season in which there was only a domestic draft for teams to select players from, for the new season teams have the option of selecting from an auction and draft. Here is the List of players up for auction and draft for the second season on Indian Super league. Auction and draft for Indian Super League 2015 will take place in Mumbai on July 10.

AIFF has pronounced its verdict on what transpired in Bengaluru during the Bengaluru FC vs Mumbai FC match. A lot has been discussed on the social media and other forums about the conduct of the fans and officials.

Now that the verdict is out, we are publishing a short note from a person who is closely connected to football in Bangalore. He knows the Bangalore football scene very well and this is his take on whether the fans should indulge in abusive chants and if so what is the limit. He wish to remain anonymous, so we are not going to publish his name.

————————————————————–

This write up is after the BFC vs. Mumbai FC game in Kanteerava stadium, which ended in a 1-1 draw. I decided to write this for all the fans who have been supporting their club to the best, but also indulge in abusing and use foul language on opponents and their staff.

My friends and I sat in west block A to watch the game and as the players entered, there were cheers and claps for players of BFC, which was a nice thing. Once the Mumbai FC players entered the field and as the game kicked off, I was kind of feeling very bad to hear abuses being hurled at Khali Jamil and their player right from the start whistle. Families who turned up with their kids for the match were feeling discomfort because of the abusive nature of the chants and I did even see some families who had come for the match moving away from the crowd.

Come on, are we cheering the club and encouraging them or the fans wants to just have fun abusing and using foul language on the opponents and coaches, make them furious and in the end get to see what happened in that game?

India is not a country where football is the richest game unlike cricket. If it were, then no one would even bother about all the nonsense people talk. Most of the clubs in India are run with less funds, no proper facilities, unlike a professional setup like BFC who has made huge investments and provide best facilities for players to perform to their best. Most clubs do not even pay salaries to players on a regular basis and not all football players are from well-to-do families to let go everything. Most players are struggling to live a good life and they have to struggle and sacrifice a lot to play in our top tier league – I-league.

Let us also not to forget that BFC is one of the first corporate entities to have invested in Indian football, and they have all the means to provide the best facilities for players to perform well, which is very much appreciated, but that doesn’t mean fans who go to watch matches abuse and insult other clubs and players who are struggling every year to sign good players and form a decent team to play in the league.

Most of the clubs are operating with a much lesser budget/investment than that of BFC. Mumbai FC was about to be shut down like Mahindra United and had not signed a single player even when they had just one month for the deadline as they couldn’t rope in a sponsor for the club. Finally, after roping in a sponsor, they mostly signed players who were either rejected by other clubs and a few were retained from their previous squad.

They struggle so much and though being an underdog club, when they take on most clubs, they still manage to put in decent to good performances. In all their four matches against BFC before this, they managed a draw and I consider that a commendable feat.

Therefore, how the fans behave in stadiums is what the outcome they get too. Abusing, provoking and using foul language on players and coaches for no reason would definitely leave anyone angered and flustered. The composition of players in I-league is seeing a drastic change now. We have some foreigners who have played world cup for their nations. Abusing and taunting players of such stature does not hold good for our football. We have to learn from better players and start playing good football because football should not end just with clubs. It has to take Indian football to higher standards.

Go out in large numbers to support BFC but never indulge in abusing or insulting opponents. We may never know the struggle of the club and the players are undergoing to keep them going at this level.

Football can become a popular game in any country only when there are more number of people attending matches and if that has to happen, the fans who go the to cheer the teams should cheer good football . When I mean good football, even if the away team plays fair and good football we should have the heart to appreciate that too. Now, if cheering or appreciating the opponent team is difficult, let us not indulge in mindless abuse. Let us all enjoy the beautiful game in a beautiful way.

Amit Kalyani, Executive Director of the Kalyani Group and Managing Director of Bharat FC, believed that it was Bright’s sharpness and awareness in front of goal that drew the club towards him. “Kris is a prolific goal-scorer and someone who can ably lead the line as we aim to start our first season strongly. He has managed to score in every country that he has played in and I am sure his Indian stint will be full of goals too,” he said.

The 28-year-old Kiwi said that the chance of leading the line at a new club and the responsibility of driving his side’s attacking endeavours were the main reasons that he agreed to the move. “I was very excited about coming to India after speaking to Stuart (Watkiss) and getting to know more about the project. Leading the line is something that I immensely enjoy and I hope to perform really for Bharat FC. Also, I would get a chance to interact with the young Indian players and pass on a few things that I have learnt over my career,” he said.

Stuart Watkiss, Bharat FC’s head-coach said he was impressed by Bright’s imposing presence and his eye for goal. “I have watched Kris a few times in England and it is apparent that he is a very fine striker. He manages to get into good positions, is very strong aerially and is sharp in front of goal. I am sure he will be a profitable asset for us in the I-League,” he said.

According to a report in Gulf News, Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood has expressed interest in taking up the coaching role of Indian national team. All India Football Federation has to scout for a new manager for the national team after the current coach Wim Koevermans recently stepped down.

Ashely Westwood guided Bengaluru FC to last season’s I-league title. This was a remarkable achievement since it was Bengaluru FC’s debut appearance in India’s top tier league. Previously he has donned the role of assistant coach at English clubs; Portsmouth, Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers.

“If they think I’m good enough then obviously they would have to approach the club, but I don’t really know how that works, I’m just interested in doing a good job for whoever that would be. I’ve studied the opposition throughout India and watched a lot of football and I’ve watched it for a purpose and I’m learning all the time. That’s what I want to keep doing, I want to keep learning and striving and bettering myself, said Ashley Westwood to Gulf News.

According to a report in Times of India, Federation Cup which was to be hosted in Kashmir in May 2015 will be postponed to December 2015 and will be shifted to Goa.

A senior official from AIFF was quoted in TOI saying “We have asked Goa if they are willing to host the tournament in December 2014. Unfortunately, there is now a change in plan and the Federation Cup cannot be played in May (2015) since the Indian team has international assignments and many players consider May as off-season,”

AIFF is finding it difficult to squeeze in different tournaments, the internationals and the upcoming Indian Super league in next year’s calendar. The report in TOI says that Federation cup was postponed because many players are busy with Asian Games preparations and the lined up International friendlies. Clubs like Dempo and Sporting Clube De Goa will be in a highly disadvantageous position if Federation Cup takes place in May. They have 5 and 4 players respectively in the Asian Games preparatory squad.